Hand truck



` Mayu, 1946 JACKSON 2,400,824

`HAND TRUCK Filed Jupe 14,` 1944 IN VEN TUR.

vA1113 R N `EYE Patented May 2l, 1946 lUNITED STATES Y;Plifra1\iif. oFluCEN 2,4o0i824fl i n 4 HAND TRUCK 4John Jackson,Nor`folk,Va. i Application June 14, 1944, serial No, 540,343V i 1 Claim;

y 'I'he invention relates to` wheeled trucks, and Y l The primary object of the invention is the prol vision of a truck of this character, wherein through a wheel arrangement it can be manually pushed or pulled or driven by amotor, and such truck is adapted to travel on a level, an incline or up and down stairways, thereby relieving the weight of a load from a user of such truck.`

Another object of the invention is the provision of a truck of this character, wherein its body frame has front and rear groups of wheels, each group being revolvable, so that the truck can be caused to travel'up and down stairways, when loaded or unloaded, and also may travel on grades or on a level, the said truck being susceptible of manua operation or motor driven, and is unique and novel in construction.

A further object of theinvention is the' provision of a truck of this character, wherein the handles thereof are adjustable and removable, so that when removed caster Wheels can be substituted and thereby enabling one group of wheels to be temporarily dispensed with, this group being readily and easily detached for this purpose, the motor power mediums being also detachable or removable, at the election of a user of the truck. p

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a truck of this character, wherein its construction assures convenient handling of merchandise, both in transportation and for storing thereof, without excessive labor on the part of the user of the truck.

A still further object of the`invention is the provision of a truck of this character, which is (Cl. ISG-19) Figure 3 isa, fragmentary side view showing `the attachment of a `caster wheel Vat the handle end of the truck in substitute for handle.

lSimilar reference` characters indicate-` corresponding parts throughout the several viewsin the drawing.

Referring to the `drawing in detail, A desig-V nates generally the truck in its entirety'asmconstructed in accordance with the invention, and such truck comprises a. main frame having spaced parallel side sills I0, outer and inter-mediate crossbars I I and I2, respectively, these being fastened secure in any suitable manner to be unitary with the sills, and handle bars I3. The handle' bars A I3 are removably and adjustably telescoped in the sills II) at one end of the frame, the thumb screws I4 being for fastening the handle bars I3 inplace.

At the other end of the frame are permanent axle bearings I5, which are carried by the sills I0, while at or near the handle bar end of such frame are arranged detachable axle `bearings I6' held to the sill by thumb screws IB', the bearings I5 and I6 being dependent from the l,said frame. Journaled in the bearings I5 and I6 are main axles or shafts Il and Il', each supporting four` spoked wheel-forked rotors I8, both of the rotors on each axle being xed thereto. In the forks I9 of the rotors are traction rollers or wheels simple in construction, thoroughly reliable and eilicient in operation, strong, durable, readily and trated in the accompanying drawing, which shows the preferred embodiment of the invention, and pointed out in the claim hereunto appended.

In the accompanying:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the truck constructed in accordance with the invention. y

Figure 2 is a side view thereof showing it ascending or descending a stairway.

20 for surface contactfThe axles I'I and I'I' have slidably splined thereon;` hand released clutches 2l, for detachable engagement with driven sprocket gears 22 which 'are loosely fitted with the said axles. These gears 22 have trained thereover sprocket chains 23 powered Iby electric motors 24, which are detachably bracketed at 25 to the frame of the truckA. I n this manner one rotor on each axle I1 and II can be posi#- tively driven by power transmitted thereto from the companion motor. These rotors I8 are employ'ed to be effective in having,r the truck A climb a stairway B, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, for ascending of such stairway, or for de-` scending the latter. The motors 24are'employed for driving the truck in ascending the stairwayl l or for effecting the travel of the said truck when descending such slailrway. When the truck A is used onfa level o p and down an incline, the motors may Ibe unclutched in their driving connections with the main axles I1 and Il', and the foremost rotor will automatically bring a pair of the rollers or wheels 2|) into traveling contact with the ground or foundation when the handle bar end of the frame of the truck A is lifted to have the frame forwardly tilted so that such truck may substituted for each removed therefrom,

be hand driven, identically as is the case with,-

the usual handtruck of present day construction.

Furthermore, the truck A can be brought to ahorizontal position, and in this instance, the fore and aft rotor I8 can settle to have the lowermost pairs of their rollers or wheels 20 contact the ground or foundation, whereby the said truck can be used as a movable carriage or load carrier.

Each motor 24 can be supplied with electric current source by a detachable connector cord 25a, which may be carried at the side of the truck A on a hanger 2S, and included with such connector may be a cut-off and on switch of any selected construction, not shown.

0n the forward end of the frame is an upstanding fender 21 to hold a load upon the truck A when its frame is disposed at a forward incline, there may be employed side-boards, not shown, for the truck body.

In Figure 3 of the drawing, there is shown handle bar I3, a caster wheel hanger 28.l having the vcaster wheel 29, and in n the use of the latter the motor 24 next to the the frame of the truck A is and also there is removed I8 and adjuncts thereto, so lowered to a horizontal posihandle bar end of the rearmost rotors that the truck when lengthening and shortening thereof.

What is claimed is: Y

A truck of the kind described, comprising an elongated load carrying frame, fore and aft shafts carried by said frame. spokes carried by the shafts, vtraction wheels carried by the outer end of the spokes, motors mounted on said frame, individual drive means between each shaft and `each motor, clutch means on each shaft and said frame for removably receiving handle bars for said frame, whereby upon disengagement of the clutch means said traction wheels will rotate with their respective shafts free of said drive means when the truck is manually moved by the handle bars.

JOHN I. JACKSON.

means on the end of 

